Tiger Crews

[Commissar]

I need someone to confirm something for me. My understanding is that Tiger crews were usually the best of the best of the panzerwaffe. Is that more or less correct? thanks.

[ParaBellum]

From all I know, that's true.

While new crews for other AFVs like the Pz III, IV and the StuGs usually came directly from the armour schools, crews for the Tiger tank all had to have combat experience with other tanks before. For example, the famous tank ace Wittman started his carreer in a StuG before he was issued a Tiger.

I've read many german accounts that stated that the Tiger crews were indead the "crème de la crème" of german armour.

Since the total production of Tiger tanks from March 1942 to August 1944 when production was stopped was only 1355, it's undertstandable that they wanted (and got) only the best crews for this tank.

Later in the war the serious shortage of trained crews, together with Hitler's habit of forming new divisions instead of resupplying the old divisions with crews and tanks lead to strange situations where crack troops were given Pz IVs while some green crews recieved new King Tigers.

Hope that helps

[Tanaka]

Hello,

One funny thing is that I'm under the idea that one of the very first actions (and an important one) of the Tiger tank on the Eastern front was around kotelnikovo, (Hoth attempt to free Stalingrad), and there, the tanks were actually maneuvered by factory technicians and not by any battle hardened panzer crews...

On the Western front (Tunisia) Von Arnim's 10th Panzer sow the debut of the Tiger tank, some crews were battle hardened veterans of the Eastern front, but the others, I've my doubts...

From Apr 43 to Dez 44, I fully agree with Parabellum main statement...